I missed November! Doh! That’s okay, here’s a great example of someone taking personal branding online to a higher level. I’ve known of Warren for a while, and think he’s a great way to end 2009’s Personal Branding winners. Here’s why…
Warren Sukernek is in the position you want to be in when you get canned.
Warren has a strong network, understands relationships, and has been living giver’s gain for a long time. And people know it. They “know” him, and they trust him.
Warren has been digging a well long before he was thirsty… perhaps not realizing that he would need to tap into it during a job search. His online presence is enough to make me feel overwhelmed, but I think the key is he didn’t do it all overnight, and everything he has done (or at last parts of it) can be lessons for YOU to do the same.
Warren has a blog. Actually he has a number of blogs… so I should say he has a blog strategy. Look, I beat this dead horse over and over, but let me share one idea – if companies are moving away from “brochureware,” which is a static website, and moving to a conversational place to build community and listen and interact, why can’t you? He is developing conversation around Twitter, setting himself apart as an authority on Twitter. Authority = thought leader – subject matter expert.
Warren is on Twitter. Of course. You can see his Twitter account here. Note he has over 2,000 followers and has tweeted over 5,000 times. When he writes “RT” he is sharing information with his followers… he is providing some kind of value (and if they don’t think so, they can stop following him). This is the audience he turned to when he got laid-off, and they have been responsive! Click here to see some screenshots of how people reacted to his news on Twitter.
Warren participates in discussions. Check out his participation in the Society for Word of Mouth Ning social network: Warren has a history of participating in conversations over 30 times there. Think people there know who he is, or of him? Absolutely. His PEERS know who he is, and they have formed opinions of him based on the brand he has built there. And when he let them know he was available, they responded!
Warren has a nice picture. Seems trivial, does it? With all the places you can post your “avatar” or picture online, I seriously encourage you to get a nice headshot. Warren’s is nice and looks professional. It makes him seem approachable. It is not offensive, and it is one of the little things that makes his strategy seem more “on purpose.”
I predict Warren either (a) won’t be out of work for long, or (b) will start his own consulting gig (which I think is a pretty viable option considering the hiring economy right now).
Congratulations Warren! You join a special group of professionals and have earned a coveted link from my monthly winner’s blogroll area (on the left), six months of premium JibberJobber (you can transfer/award this to someone else), and a cyber-high five! And, a new addition to the prize list is the two hour (!!) recording of Blog Marketing 201 – 501 (part of the CEO Training for Me, Inc. – listed at $49.95 (but much more valuable than that!).
Jason, A big WOW! I am truly humbled. Thank you so much, Not only for these great gifts that will definitely aid my job search, but for being recognized by an expert like yourself. And of course, I hope you are right on your prediction. I will do my best to make it true!
Thanks again,
Warren
Great information! I was just talking with someone the other day who is in ‘job search mode’ and is also on twitter. She was making some comments with others and struck up a conversation there with someone in the same field. They continued to connect on various things and help each other out and before you know it the job seeker was on her way to an interview with the firm the other worked for. The power of networking is so incredible. I wish people would really, really believe that – so many are so negative about networking.
Congratulations to you Warren for developing and ‘maintaining’ a strong network! If you need any other assistance give me a holler at FiredUP Careers – glad to help if I can.
Thanks Jason – for more great info.
Robin Ogden
https://www.firedupcareers.com
Jason,
Once again, thank you for all of your great advice, the blog post and the use of Jibber Jobber. I am really happy to say that I have accepted a job with Radian6 as Director of Content Marketing. You can read more about it on my blog, https://cli.gs/wsradian.
You were so right when you predicted that I wouldn’t be out of work for very long. You obviously know your business. And more importantly, you definitely know how to create software that helps job seekers. Although I didn’t need to use premium JibberJobber for very long, I found it to be a fantastic tool that helped me to stay on top of my opportunities.
Once again, I am very appreciative of all of your help and advice. I can’t thank you enough.
Best,
Warren
I wonder if the use of photos in blogs and other online media will counterattack the frequent recommendation to never mail a photo when sending a resume by snail mail.
Awesome Warren, congrats. Might I suggest you continue to use JibberJobber as a relationship management tool… it’s much more than just a job search tool. More here: What To Do With Your JibberJobber Account When You Land Your Job?.
@Elf – I doubt that the social movement to include images/avatars will have an effect on changing the long-standing tradition of not putting an image of yourself on your resume… too much potential for the D word (discrimination), and many in HR and recruiting are still not sure if they are comfortable with images on LinkedIn and other places because of that. I bet it won’t ever happen in the U.S. (although it’s common practice in other countries).